Pope Francis in Cuba

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While the first Latin American pontiff paid his first visit to Cuba from September 19-22, 2015, the region’s media paid close attention.  Pope Francis spoke of the Church’s role in society, but offered only subtle criticisms of his Cuban hosts, disappointing pundits who had hoped he would make overt calls for greater social and political freedoms.  True to his earlier efforts, in which he played an important, but secret role in facilitating the rapprochement between Cuba and the United States, Francis met privately with Fidel and Raúl Castro, but did not meet with Cuban dissidents, some of whom were arrested when they tried to make contact with the pope. (Francis later said he did not know about their travails while on the island.)  For Latin Americans around the region, Francis’ words resonated with meaning beyond the question of Cuba.